Artemis Spacesuits Will Be Ready On Schedule, NASA

With the completion of the Artemis I mission successfully, NASA has made significant progress toward sending people back to the Moon. However, a large rocket and a capsule with deep space capabilities are just the start of the new technology required for lunar surface operations. In particular, there is the lander. This program's component has received a lot of attention, especially since NASA chose SpaceX's massive Starship vehicle to take on that duty in April 2021. Astronauts will be transported to and from the Moon by Starship after a close encounter with the Orion spacecraft in lunar orbit. NASA is working for a lunar landing later this decade, and with Orion and the Space Launch System rocket has successfully completed a crucial flight test, Starship is now under pressure. However, just as they cannot land on the Moon without Starship, astronauts also cannot venture outside on the lunar surface without brand-new spacesuits. [caption id="attachment_71540" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] NASA[/caption] NASA stated in June that it would collaborate with two business organizations, one led by Axiom Space and the other by Collins Aerospace, to create spacesuits for both lunar missions and low-Earth orbit spacewalks. The space agency announced in September that Axiom would create Artemis Moonwalking suits. NASA said last week that Collins would create suits for the International Space Station and other space-related uses. The new suits are intricate machinery and represent NASA's first brand-new spacesuits in many years. The spacesuit design must incorporate avionics, pressure suits, life support, and other components in a self-contained unit. Because it has been 50 years since a suit for the lunar environment was created and because the Apollo astronauts had to deal with a lot of dirt on the lunar surface, developing one will be particularly difficult. Ars recently chatted with Chris Hansen, NASA's deputy program manager for spacesuits and lunar vehicles, to learn more about how this project is coming along. Regarding Axiom and Collins, Hansen stated, "We think they're doing fantastic." These businesses have put a lot of their own money into the suits because they are so driven and enthusiastic about the initiatives. Each business has been able to make the most of the planning and analysis that NASA invested in the internal creation of the "xEMU" next-generation spacesuit. Over the course of more than a decade, NASA spent $420 million on this research and development project. Regarding the businesses and the xEMU prototype, Hansen stated that "they've been able to utilise it substantially in their ideas." By 2025, NASA intends for the Artemis III mission to send two people to the Moon. Hansen said Axiom is still working toward that goal, despite the fact that it doesn't seem reasonable given that Artemis II will most certainly fly a crew around the Moon that year, setting up Artemis III later this decade. Accordingly, the business intends to provide two flight-ready suits to NASA by the middle or end of 2025, according to Hansen. The first flight test for Axiom will probably take place on the Moon, even though the company will need to show the suits in a situation similar to a flight, most likely a pressure chamber on Earth. The demonstration mission will be Artemis III, according to Hansen. "We are requiring our contractors to adhere to their timetables. I have every faith that they will adhere to the schedules we've discussed."